Why Nicholas Braun Plays Both Andy Kaufman and Jim Henson in ‘Saturday Night’

Jason Reitman’s “Saturday Night” is a live-wire comedic drama that follows the 90 minutes that directly preceded the airing of the very first episode of “Saturday Night Live” back in 1975. As dramatized in the film, it’s a calamitous combination of faulty equipment, jittery performers and looming executives who were ready to cut the broadcast at any moment (they didn’t, obviously, and “SNL” is currently celebrating its 50th year on the air).

The movie is funny and dramatic but it really has the beating heart of a thriller, as the cast and crew race against time to get the show on the air. And there is a bit of a mystery there, too, at least when it comes to some of its casting. While a bunch of cute young actors are playing the various performers and behind-the-scenes principals (also Willem Dafoe is there as an antagonizing exec and J.K. Simmons shows up as Milton Berle), there is one casting choice that might have you a little puzzled.

Early in the movie, we are introduced to Andy Kaufman, played by “Succession” star Nicholas Braun. Kaufman is in full Foreign Man mode (which he would adapt as Latka Gravas for “Taxi”), with a heavy accent and childlike mentality. But later, Jim Henson, who was briefly a part of “Saturday Night Live” with his “Land of Gorch” characters (he and the characters only lasted that inaugural season), appears. And he is also played by Braun, behind a beard and assorted Muppet-y gear.

That begs the question: why the dual role?

We asked Reitman, co-writer and director of “Saturday Night,” about the decision. He told TheWrap that when he and co-writer Gil Kenan wrote Henson, they thought of Braun “immediately.” “I thought, ‘He’s just the perfect guy, he’ll be so funny’ … every time we would crack ourselves up thinking about Nicholas Braun saying the words out loud, ‘F–k rags for rent.’ It would make you laugh saying it.”

When it came to Kaufman, Reitman initially had Benny Safdie earmarked to play the role. But then his movie “The Smashing Machine,” starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, got greenlit by A24 and he became unavailable.

“We kept thinking about who could replace him,” Reitman explained. He and Kenan racked their brains about who could step in and “we kept coming back to Nick Braun.” And it would make sense, given that this is a movie about “Saturday Night Live.” “At some point, we went, ‘Well, on ‘SNL,’ you can play more than one character. Why did you not do that in the movie?’”

There you go! That’s why Nicholas Braun plays two characters in “Saturday Night.” Mystery solved.

The post Why Nicholas Braun Plays Both Andy Kaufman and Jim Henson in ‘Saturday Night’ appeared first on TheWrap .